Body discovered in Flat Creek

The body of Billy Gene Henry, 57, of Washburn, was found in a dry area of Flat Creek between Ramey and Fasco on Oct. 19. Barry County Sheriff Mick Epperly said foul play is not suspected.

"He was found in an area that is covered by the Barry County Sheriff's Department and the Cassville Police Department so we are working together on this," said Epperly.

Cassville Police Chief Dana Kammerlohr said that Henry's body was discovered by an individual who was walking to their job at Fasco Industries. Police were notified early Wednesday morning.

"It appears he was trying to stay warm," said Kammerlohr. "The sheriff's department is tracking the timeline. We do know that he was last seen in court on Monday."

Although Henry's current address was Washburn, law enforcement officials have been told that he recently leased an apartment in Monett.

"We know that he was in Ramey because he had a sack of items that he had purchased," said Epperly. "We believe he left Ramey and went to the creek because it was cool out.

"He had a shirt on, but he took a plastic bag and cut sleeves, which he was wearing," said Epperly. "He also had a trash bag that he had draped over his head. The cause of death could be suffocation or natural causes. We are not ruling the death a homicide."

Barry County Coroner Jim John and deputy coroner Charles McManus removed the body from the scene. Epperly said that blood would likely be taken to further investigate the cause of death.

"We will be following up on the time frame," said Epperly. "We are going to pull the tape from Ramey to see if we can determine when he was in the store. Right now there is a lapse of a day in the timeline."